Thursdae

I've never noticed scent from a sunflower but now I'm looking forward to taking a big, deep sniff of the next one I see. Straight out of the bottle, Sunflower, for a brief second, took me by surprise and not in a good way. But with the warmth of my wrists, a wonderful scent wafted up--bright, strong, and full of sunshine. Not in a citrus way, more in a late afternoon, fields of amber waving kind of way. I saw butterflies. I felt a glow.

When first applied, Aphrodesia's fragrance was quite strong and reminded me of a field of daisies in the rain. As it dries down, it mellows. It works best for me in combination with something sweet or soothing, like Midway or Oneiroi.

On me, Spirit of the Komachi Cherry Tree is quite powdery and long-lasting. It gives me thoughts of bygone eras. I don't smell cherry or cherry blossom, but I can't put my finger on which florals I detect.

So, I’m minding my business, taking a stroll along the waterfront, when I begin to hear a hum of voices. A door bangs open and a man in a crisp white uniform leaps up the two steps to stand in my path. “Miss, miss,” he says. He seizes my wrist. I don’t pull away. He has soft eyes and pointed eyebrows. He says, “Please come in. Don’t be afraid.” Afraid? Hah. I’ve got a hat pin nine inches long and made of steel. “What’s inside that I need to see?” I ask. He takes off his cap and pulls its ribbon free. “I don’t want you to see . . . anything,” he says. In one step, he’s behind me, and he twines the ribbon around my head and across my eyes, then he tucks my arm in his. “Two steps over,” and we take two steps. “Two steps down,” and he puts his arms about my waist and swings me down. “Two steps in,” and the door bangs shut behind us, and the murmur of voices dips, then rises. I can see only darkness, I can hear only hubbub, I can feel a wooden floor under my feet and the stir of my pulse. But I know where I am—ship sails, rum barrels, coconut palms and starry nicotiania flowers, smokiness and breeziness and heat and men. In a sailors’ den, I smile and reach out my hand.

Simplicity and innocence, gleefully despoiled! Sugared rose. Hope smells delicious in the imp. I wish it stayed the same on my skin, but I often have trouble with rose. The imp really appealed so I'm sad it didn't work out, but, hey, I do have one or two drops of other BPAL lovelies to appreciate. I seldom have this experience. Mostly, a great-smelling imp means a great-smelling wrist.

Did I miss a mention of Green Tree Viper? I haven't tried all the snakes, but one drop of the Viper and I ordered a bottle. I kept the imp in the car so I could slap some on my wrists and improve any journey.

Huh. I knew I liked Brisingamen but didn't know it had carnation in it. Carnation works really well on me. (Except for the Spicy Carnation body butter from Skindazzles, which was too powerfully scented--I don't like it when my body butters double as room fresheners.) I have to say Bathsheba is the tippiest top of my carnation faves. The Masque (long gone) is another wonderful carnation blend. Heck yeah I ordered Pink Moon!

Lycaon reminded me of cologne, but with more depth. And, um, more breadth. It had excellent throw and I enjoyed wearing it. Keeper. I saw the comparison to Tzadikim, which I adore, and I don't think this is overly similar to it, but if Tzadi works on you like it does on me, then Lycaon might also be a good choice.

Isaac is a scent that didn't appeal to me in the imp, but a few minutes on my skin brought out a sweetness that was neither foody nor floral. I will wear what I have, and see which way my feelings go—more toward enjoyment or more toward indifference. It's fun to have a scent to try that is not a simple love or loathe, but leaves itself open for my taste to develop.

When I smelled Longing, the first thing that came to mind was my gentle, beloved Queen of Hearts. But with Longing, rose replaces the cherry note. I agree with mountainwitch, I don't find this blend to be fruity. I can't detect pear as an individual note. Rose is often a nonstarter for me, going spiky on my skin, but it's soft and beautiful here. Emotionally, I'd say Longing is too wistful to be a wedding bouquet, unless we're talking about a flower from the bouquet that's been pressed in a book.

Count me in with the folks who don't want to get too up close and personal with vetiver. High marks for pungency.

I liked Blood in the imp. For the first few minutes on my skin, it was strictly dragon's blood with a drop of cherry, then the clove and incense came out. After about an hour, the dragon's blood and cherry receded completely, leaving clove, which I love, and something else that I don't love. Maybe myrrh? Myrrh and frankincense sometimes work on me and sometimes don't. This one is a don't, which is a shame because I was hoping to add a happy BPAL clove scent to my treasure chest. ETA: Forgot to mention the mild and chewy cherry flavor.

I love Eris in the springtime. I love Eris in the fall. I love Eris in the winter when it drizzles, I love Eris in the summer when it sizzles. I love Eris every moment, Every moment of the year. I love Eris, why oh why do I love Eris? Because my nose is near.

The trace of cassia in Tanin'iver reacts on my skin. It feels like a slight scorching sensation, which is perfect for a dragon! But I wouldn't be able to wear it, unfortunately. The fragrance is spicy and sweet, but not in a cinnamon-bun, foodie kind of way. It's pleasant and I might put my imp into an unscented hand-lotion base. I think the creamy lotion would eliminate the skin reaction and would enable me to enjoy Tanin'iver's scent.

The Bloody Sword has great throw. Dragon's Blood radiates off my skin like a Hawaiian sunset, and this blend is no exception. Rather than the berry juiciness of Blood Countess, the impression the Bloody Sword makes is of a powerful yet restrained maturity. A flowering of strength. I felt taller while I was wearing it. It has extra-long staying power, too. If I were a judge, this would be my signature courtroom blend.

Is there a lavender/vanilla oil? I love the Pastilles lotion from Propaganda Beauty and Bath, and if there's a similar BPAL oil, I would be in layering heaven.

I liked the way Penitence smelled for the first five minutes. Then, alas, an off-note manifested. I've never been able to pin down just what it is that disagrees with me. Penitence has it. Psyche, Neo-Tokyo, Stardust, and Charisma, too. I know it's just my particular chemistry that makes it happen. If anyone has a similar reaction and has figured out the common factor, pretty please share the info with me? I've tried many scents and most do well on my skin, so I'm not complaining. I have a wealth of incredible oils to choose from every day. And Penitence is incredible, too, until my molecules cook it.

I'm only five minutes into my Lyonesse imp so who knows what the drydown will bring, but right now? A lovely vanilla sandalwood with overtones of amber and musk. Je l'aime! :D :D

Litha gives me a beeswax vibe. I love it!

A gorgeous scent that I find has great throw and staying power, and is unlike anything else in the BPAL library: XIUHTECUHTLI--Copal, plumeria and sweet orange and the smoke of South American incense and crushed jungle blooms.

Yemaya equals melon. I love Titania, which has a melon component, and I think I'll stick with that over Yemaya.

Temple of Dreams and Sophia are both beautiful lavender blends. To my nose, Baku is a bit more sharp than I'd want in a lotion. Another idea is to order Pastilles lotion from Propaganda Bath and Beauty. They have very fast shipping, and I can't say enough about the Pastilles lotion: fabulous texture, scented with lavender and a touch of vanilla. I'm halfway through my second jar already.

Oya didn't work for me. I love Hellion, and plum in general, so that wasn't the problem. It was one of the floral components, maybe, like the sweet pea in Desdemona, which made me shudder. I doubt this would affect anyone else, because it's a case of Oya's bringing up an unpleasant scent memory for me.

To me, Energy smells like sweet orange with a hint of beeswax. I far prefer it to Moxie. I don't detect anything off, which is great, because I've found my skin sometimes imbues a few scents with a lurking off-note (sadly, it's often carnation scents, which I love--at first). In terms of broadcast, Energy stayed close to my wrists, so I've been interrupting my typing every few minutes to take a whiff. It's a delightful oil and I'd happily wear it as a perfume.

Queen of the Nile smells sweet, seductive, and a touch mysterious. I wore it for the first time this evening. I've been going to a gym for about a month, usually wearing Hellion and occasionally Shanghai. No one has ever spoken to me or even smiled. Individuals are concentrating on doing reps at the weight machines or running on the various treadmill-type things. Tonight, a man complimented me on my smile, and made a point of talking to me a couple of other times, too. Maybe it's a coincidence, but I have to report the facts. Result of Hellion: I enjoyed it but received no particular attention from others. Queen of the Nile: I enjoyed it and received quite a marked amount of attention from a friendly guy wearing a big gold band on his third finger.